"The leadership of the Lower House should remember that they are accountable to the majority of the people and should not be beholden to the Palace and to employers alone ," Anakpawis Representative Crispin Beltran, proponent of the P125 legislated across-the-board wage increase for private sectors workers, said today.

Beltran was angered, although not surprised, at the House leadership's announcements yesterday that HB 0345 would not be tackled during the last session day today. "The House leadership is doing everything to delay the passage of HB 0345. They are trying to stall the third reading today on a technicality," Beltran said.

"While the Palace may have refused to certify HB 0345 as a priority bill, more than 14.4 million Filipino workers are counting on its passage as a matter of immediate economic relief, and even life or death," Beltran said.

"Any delaying tactics to prevent the passage of House Bill (HB) 0345 is reprehensible. They are prolonging the hardships of the Filipino working class by such malicious foot-dragging. These maneuvers by the House leadership are clearly intended to prevent the passage of this bill. Even if they promise to tackle the bill during the next opening of session, this lull will give the Palace only more time to drum up more excuses to kill the bill," Beltran said.